Yay, it’s Fucken Monday! This is how all my Monday diary posts will start from now on.

I start writing a new story for my morning shift today. It’s the one that I was looking up remote Scottish hotels for. As part of that research I found a handful of travelogue type reviews of suitable locations, and started reading through them. These articles always convey an almost mythical status upon the places they cover–at least they do to me. The more interesting locations I then looked up individually, and was amazed to find one of them up for sale. Obviously I won’t be putting an offer in, but there’s potential for a whole other story in there … I’m intrigued by the possibility it offers of inserting yourself into local history: buy the place and you will always be the owner of one of the most remote hotels in the world. It’s like The Shining, but for local people …

It was a hot as bastard day today–that’s the official meteorological term. One of those days where stepping outside is about as relaxing as sticking your face into an open oven. The weather often gets hots around here, but this was something else.

Rach was heading off for Galentine’s Day shenanigans, so I get her to drop the kids at work on her way. They sit obediently in a meeting room (with an iPad for company) while I wrapped a few things up. I remember often visiting my Dad at his work place. For some reason I found it the most fascinating thing, especially all the office machinery (telex machines in those days!). I think the Elderbeast may have adopted this strange obsession, as he was enthralled by the huge laser printer we have sitting by our door.

We pick up one of the Elderbeast’s friends on the way home (we ride with the windows open, and it’s like someone attached a legion of fan heaters to the outside of the car). The boys make way too much noise. Then the alt-Elderbeast’s mother comes along and takes the pair of them to the beach. Suddenly it’s just me and the Kinderbeast surrounded by a silence so sudden and perfect it can only be an illusion.

Meat sauce for dinner. Damn good it was too.